John’s letters are often referred to as the Epistles of love because of his overwhelming emphasis on loving God and loving one another. In verses 15-17 John tells us not to love the world or the things of this world. The word for “world” used here is the greek word kosmos which is different from the world of people God sent Jesus to die for (John 3:16-17) and God’s creation. It refers to worldly affairs, riches, advantages, pleasures, and a worldview perspective led by the evil one. All that the world has to offer us is the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. These are the three weapons Satan uses to lure humanity into joining his side. Let's take a closer look at each of these desires.
The lust of the flesh is our desire to feel, to fulfill our appetite ourselves by turning to food, sex, alcohol, or whatever thing we think will satisfy our appetite in the moment. When we turn to the things of the world, we are never truly finally satisfied. Instead, we need to turn to God.
Second, the lust of the eyes is the desire to have. We fall into this one over and over. We are all professional wanters, always ready for the next thing the world has to offer us. God has given us a ton of great things in this world that we get to enjoy and use to glorify Him, but when those good things become god things they are bad things. Matthew 6:19-21 warns not to store up our treasures on earth but instead to store up our treasures in heaven. This world is passing away and no matter how much stuff you have it will not last.
Finally, the pride of life is our desire to be somebody, to have status, and glorify ourselves. The good news is that for those who believe, we get to have the greatest status ever, as children of God, the Almighty King! Each of these three desires will be fully and finally satisfied in Christ for all of eternity in Heaven.
Turning to verses 18-27, John gives a warning about the antichrist coming and the antichrists that have come. Verse 18 gives a sense of urgency. This “last hour” isn’t much time. If I told you that you had an hour before Jesus comes back, what would you spend that hour doing? This last hour is the time between Jesus’ first and second coming. We are living in this last hour.
John explains there is a singular antichrist who is coming one day in the future, but at this time there are many antichrists. The antichrists that have come are deceivers and false teachers. You can think of it as literally anti-Christ. Anything that is anti-Christ is operating in the spirit of deception and with the goal of distracting us from the life found in Jesus. In Matthew 24:2-5;24-25, Jesus gives us a warning that there will be false teachers trying to lead us astray.
Imagine your friend is taking you somewhere, and they are saying all the right things. They have been to this place a million times, they have a great shortcut, and it's all very reassuring, so you don’t even check the map because they are so confident. If you haven’t arrived after a while, you might start to wonder if they truly know where to go or if they have led you astray. When you finally check the map you realize you are so far from your destination and have been going the wrong way the whole time. You wish you would have just checked the map from the beginning. This is the path a false teacher can lead you down.
The good news is that we have a map, scripture and an all-knowing guide, the Holy Spirit! John tells us in verse 27 that the Holy Spirit abides in us and that we don’t have a need for anyone to teach us. It is important we are careful to not take this out of context. At this time, the antichrists were teaching that the apostles' teachings needed to be supplemented with additional knowledge that they had. John’s point was not that we do not need human teachers, but that only what is taught under the Holy Spirit's ministry through the apostles is reliable truth. Today we apply this by not relying solely on teaching and if you’re being taught make sure you are weighing what is taught against scripture.
1. John tells us that the three weapons the enemy uses to try and tempt us are the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. Is there one that you are tempted with more than others? How can you stand firm in the Lord and fight against these when you are tempted?
2. The idea that we are in the “last hour” gives a sense of urgency, how can you live urgently on mission for the gospel?
3. The antichrists are deceivers and false teachers, according to John how can we protect ourselves from being lead astray by them?
Read 1 John 2:15-27 with your family and use these questions to guide your conversation about what 1 John 2:15-27 says and what it means for our lives today.
1. What are some ways that you are tempted by the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life? Discuss what scripture says about fighting these temptations.
2. If you knew that Jesus was coming back in one hour, what would you spend that hour doing? How should the idea that we are living in the last hour change our daily actions?
3. How can you test what teachers are teaching out about God against scripture? Practice this together using todays devotional and testing it against what is found in scripture.